More than 70,000 Gas-Guzzling Public Transit Buses across the Country, including nearly 6,000 in New York City, would be Replaced with Electric and Hydrogen-Fueled Fleets under a Clean Energy Plan unveiled by Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), on Tuesday.
Schumer, joined by Public Transportation and Environmental Justice Advocates, rolled out the “Green New Wheel” Plan during a Press Conference, in front of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s Tuskegee Airmen Bus Depot, in East Harlem.
“Too many buses spew dirty diesel. That hurts the workers, that hurts the commuters, that hurts everyone,” said Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader.
President Biden’s Infrastructure-focused, American Jobs Plan, earmarks $25 Billion for Building more Zero-Emissions Buses, but Schumer said, another $50 Billion is needed to make his 100% Clean Energy Bus Framework Reality. “He’s given us a start,” Schumer said of Biden. “But it’s not enough.”
Negotiations on Biden’s $2.3 Trillion Infrastructure Plan are Underway on Capitol Hill, and Schumer said he’ll make Jacking-Up Funding for Retrofitting Fossil Fuel Driven Buses a Priority.
In New York City, the MTA has a Plan to Convert its Entire Fleet of 5,800 Buses to Electric by 2040, and Plans to Buy Only Electric Buses starting 2028. But the Technology poses Big Challenges.
The MTA currently has just 25 Electric Buses in its Fleet, which have enough Battery Storage to Run for Three or Four hours and take up to Seven hours to Charge.
A Third of the MTA’s Bus Routes are too Long for its current Electric Buses to Operate, MTA Officials have said.
But the Agency is putting up Billions for Electric Buses in its Latest Capital Plan in the hope of Prodding Bus Builders to Improve Batteries and E-Bus Technology.
The MTA Plans to Install Electric Chargers at All its Bus Depots by 2040. That will be Tricky at Manhattan Bus Depots with Ceilings too Low to Accommodate Overhead Chargers and too Little Area to Store Buses for the Hours they need to Power-Up.
Schumer suggested the “Green New Wheel” would smooth out all those wrinkles. “With the investments in our proposal, it will be easier to charge, quicker to charge and cheaper to charge” Buses, he said.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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